Hair felt and method of making



Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

ALBERT L. CLAPP, OF DANVERS,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO I BECKWITH MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACLTUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

HAIR FELT AND METHOD OIE MAKING.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. .CLAPI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Danvers,'in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hair Felt and Methods of Making, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to produce on a paper machine, felt comprising a large proportion of hair of original length, which is quite tough, but at the same time is somewhat open and porous in texture and may be saturated with asphalt, resins, gums, etc. of such nature and proportions as may be desired to give it characteristics desirable for roofing, flooring and many other products composed of saturated fibrous material useful in various arts.

' The principal difficulty found in the use of large quantities of long hair such as that comprising goat and cattle hair as it comes from the tanneries is the strong tendency of the hair to become matted and lumpy in the paper machine so that uneven felt having weak spots therein is produced. It has been found impossible to retain any large proportion of hair in original length, ifbeaten out in the ordinary manner in the beater, since in order to separate the fibers sufficiently to produce a fairly uniform product it has been necessary to beat the hair so hard that it has become quite broken up. I have found, however, that a very large pro portion of the hair may be maintained of original length if an individualizing a ent of a slimy nature is mixed with the hair and beaten out therewith, it being possible where this is done to raise the beater roll sufliciently to avoid cutting the hair, at the same time retaining it in position to cause the individual hairs to be combed out and coated with the individualizing agent. Oneof the agents which has been found satisfactory in practice is formed by dissolving leather inicaustic soda solution. This may be done either by forming a solution of leather in caustic soda and adding the solution to the beater, or it may be formed by adding the leather in the form of chips and skivings to the heater and treating it with caustic during the beating operation. Either caustic soda or potash can be used. The leather: solutlon forms a slimy or gelatx- Application filed September 12, 1923. Serial No. 662,222.

uous mass for thoroughly individualizing the lon hair fibers. H

Just efore the stock is felted alum may be added thereto to precipitate the leather solution in the form of a gelatinous hydrate on the hair. The tanning agents in this process are partly precipitated with the dissolved leather and are partly soluble so as to be more or less completely washed out during the felting operation. Some cellulosic material such as sulphate or sulphite pulp, rags, etc. or combinations thereof, may be added to the stock and beaten out with the individualizing agent before the long hair is added, this being for the purpose of increasing the strength of the final product. A small amount of such cellulosic material is usually necessary to efiect the formation and sheeting of the material on the paper ma chine. Wood flour or sawdust may also be used in order to render the stock freer and to prevent it from slipping off the pressure rolls of the paper machine, the wood flour or sawdust acting to prevent slipping of the hair fibers past each other during the feltin operation and so preventing the individual hair fibers from becoming displaced after once having been felted. The following furnish, for example, may be used: 10 to 20 parts by weight of cellulosic pulp such as sulphate 'or sulphite pulp, rags, or combinations thereof, 20 parts of leather scrap and 2 parts of caustic are added directly to the beater and are beaten up together with sufficient water to flow until a slimy mass is' produced. The leather may, however, be first dissolved in a solution of the caustic. From 30. to 70 parts of long goat or cattle hair are then added and beaten up sufliciently hard to comb, out the individual fibers, but insufliciently hard to out these fibers, until the stock is uniform or homogeneous and the hair completely individualized 5 parts of alum may then be added to precipitate the dissolved leather on the cellulosic material and the hair, and the stock may then be felted on a paper machine. Q

Having thus described the products of this invention and the method by which it may be roduced, what I claim is:

1. A elt comprising hair and a leather solution precipitated thereon.

-2. A. felt comprising a. major portion of hair, cellulosic lnaterial'and leather solution precipitated thereon.

3. A felt comprising hair of original length and a precipitate from a solution of leather and caustic.

4. A felt comprising the major portion of 7 hair of original length, cellulosic material,

and a gelatinous leather precipitate.

5. The method which comprises indivldul alizing hair of original length with a soand beating out to individualize the hair While retaining it in its original length and then felting the stock thus formed.

8. The method which comprises beating out cellulosic material, leather and caustic to form a slimy mass, adding hair thereto and beating out to individualize the hair for retaining it in its original length, precipitating the gelatinous individualizing agent on the cellulosic material and hair and then felting the stock thus formed.

9. The method which comprises beating out cellulosic materiah leather and caustic to form a slimy mass, adding hair thereto and beating out to individualize the hair for ietaining it in its original length, precipitating the gelatinous individualizing agent on the cellulosic-material and hair and then felting the stock thus formed on a paper making machine.

10. The method which comprises individualizing hair of original length with a solution of leather, precipitating the leather solution on the hair, and'felting the product on a paper making machine.

In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature.

ALBERT L. CLAPP. 

